Mike Wayland | MLive.comRob Bliss speaks during TEDxDetroit at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in downtown Detroit on September 28, 2011.

Rob Bliss is 22-years-old.

He's organized a 1,000-person pillow fight, helped throw 10,000 paper airplanes off privately-owned buildings, allowed 10,000 people to ride a giant water slide down a street and produced a lip-dub video that has generated more than 4 million page views on YouTube.

He couldn't have done it without a community that embraced his creativity.

"This all happened because good people allowed us to bend the rules to make creative things happen," Bliss said Wednesday at TEDxDetroit, speaking to roughly 1,000 attendees eager to turn their own ideas into action.

Bliss, who described himself as a once-apathetic kid from humble beginnings, began organizing creative events in Grand Rapids when he was only 18-years-old. Initially, city leaders were wary, but as more and more people turned out for his events, he noticed a cultural shift.

"People in positions of power allowed me to do things I didn't think I could do," he said.

If you've seen the video, it's clear that it required cooperation from Grand Rapids leaders at every turn. Mayor George Heartwell didn't just okay the effort; he sang along.

As Bliss described his successes, I couldn't help but think of Theatre Bizarre. Last year, Detroit shut down the annual celebration of all things odd. The Halloween masquerade operated for several years near the old Michigan State Fair Grounds. Granted, it did so without the proper licenses, but its closure prompted a spirited debate about the relationship between the creative community and city government.

Could Bliss have made his lip-dub video in Detroit?

Cool things happen here too -- TEDxDetroit is a poignant reminder -- and mayor Dave Bing at least has started paying lip service to the creative community, which is blossoming thanks to cheap real estate and unique opportunities. But by strengthening that relationship, the city has a chance to earn the sort of positive press Bliss has generated for Grand Rapids.

Last year, Newsweek called Grand Rapids "a dying city." Bliss produced his lip-dub video as a direct response, and it was a knock-out punch. Two years ago, CNN compared Detroit to Baghdad and Beirut. What are we going to do about it?